Device for supporting fire-hose, life-preservers, &amp;c.



No. 805,511. I PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905.

' T. P. ADAMS.

DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING FIRE HOSE, LIFE PRESERV'ERS, &0.

APPLICATION FILED JAN; 12, 1905.

UN TED STATES PATENT ()FFIOE.

THOMAS F. ADAMS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed January 12, 1905. Serial No. 240,76L

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS F. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York, borough of the Bronx, in the State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices forSupporting Fire-Hose, Life-Preservers, &c., of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improved device for supporting fire-hose,life-preservers, safety-ropes, and other life-saving apparatus invessels, hotels, schools, and other public buildings, &c., in such amanner that the articles supported can be instantly delivered wheneverrequired for use without any loss of time in unwinding from a reel orpulling them from the shelves on which at present they are usuallysupported, as the case may be, so that the least possible time is lostin rendering them ready for the use for which they are designed; and forthis purpose the invention consists in the novel features andcombinations of parts, to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrative of one form of the invention,Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device for supporting firehose, life preservers, and other life-saving apparatus, showing the samein position on the wall of the vessel or building and arranged forholding a fire-hose. Fig. 2 is a like perspective view showing thedevice supporting a number of life-preservers. Fig. 3 is a verticaltransverse section, drawn on a larger scale, on line 3 3, Fig. l; andFig. 4 is a vertical transverse section showing the rack in tiltedposition for'delivering the article supported therein.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, (4 denotes a shelf, which is attached bysuitable brackets Z) to the wall of a vessel or building, said shelfbeing made of sufiicient size so as to provide either for a foldedfire-hose and the nozzle of the same or for a number of life-preserversor other life-saving apparatus. On the shelf a is supported a rack 7",which is preferably composed of a solid bottom and of front, rear, andend walls formed of upright and cross slats, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.The bottom of the rack r is of greater width than the shelf a and isapplied by hinges d to an intermediate shelfsection a, which is again ofthe shelf, the shelf and its hinged front section being together when inline with each other equal in width with the bottom of the rack. Thehinged intermediate shelf-section is preferably about equal in size toone-third of the shelf a and serves for the purpose of facilitating thetilting of the rack whenever this is desired for delivering thefire-hose, life-preservers, or other articles stored in the same.

The slatted rear wall of the rack is connected by a locking devicewiththe'wall of the vessel or building, said locking device consisting of aspring-catch 0, attached to the rear wall of the rack, which catchengages with a keeper e on the wall of the vessel or building when therack is supported in normal position on the shelf, the spring-catchengaging then automatically with the keeper, so as to hold the rack inposition. To an eye on the spring-catch is attached a cord or line f,that extends over the upper edge of the front wall of the rack, then indownward direction along the same, and then onto a spring-catch fon thewall of the vessel or building, where the releasing-cord is retained ina convenient position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so as to be preventedfrom dangling below the rack.

Whenever the fire-hose, life-preservers, or other appliances in the rackare required for use, the cord f is released from the catch f and pulledso that the catch 6 is released, the tilting of the rack,with itscontents,being then produced by the forward pull on the cord, whichexerts a tilting motion on the rack. This tilting motion is acceleratedby the hinged shelfsection,by which the center of gravity of the rackand its contents is moved forward, so that the tilting of the rack isquickly and easily accomplished. The rack then assumes thecompletely-inverted position (shown in Fig. 4) and delivers its contentson the floor of the vessel or building, so that in case of a firehose itcan readily be stretched out to full length for use, or in case oflife-preservers they can be picked up for being applied to the body.When the fire-hose or other lifesaving apparatus is not required foruse, it is replaced in the rack and the same lifted up on the shelf andthe cord replaced in position in its spring-catch below the rack, sothat the parts are all restored to their initial position ready for usewhenever required.

The rack employed can be made of wood or metal. It is supported on theshelf at sufii- IIO cient height so as to prevent meddling with thesame, while it is instantly delivered when the articles containedtherein are required for use by releasing the locking device and tiltingthe rack by the release-cord, so that the contents are quickly droppedon the floor or deck of the vessel or floor of the building. When thedevice is used for supporting lifepreservers and attached to the exposedportion of the vessel, it is preferable to protect the same and itscontents against sun and rain by an apron or awning. Owing to theinstant delivery of the life-saving articles supported in the rack, notime is lost in getting hold of the fire-hose, life-preservers, orotherappliances, so that in case of fire or accident, when quick action isrequired, the said appliances are immediately ready for use, while theinspection of these life-saving appliances and of the proper working ofthe device can readily be made.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent l. The combination, with wall or other support, of ashelf supported thereon, a shelf-section hinged to said shelf, a rackhinged to said shelf-section and supported on said shelf, and means fordumping said rack from the latter.

2. A device such as described comprising a stationary shelf, ashelf-section hinged thereto, and a rack hinged to said shelf-sectionand adapted to extend over the same and be supported on said shelf.

3. A device such as described comprising a stationary shelf, ashelf-section hinged to the front edge thereof and capable of downwardmovement, and a rack hinged to the front edge of said shelf-section andof greater width than said shelf-section.

4:. The combination, with a wall or other support, of a shelf supportedthereon, a shelfsection hinged to said shelf and capable of downwardmovement, and a rack hinged to said shelf-section and adapted to besupported on said shelf.

5. The combination, with a wall or other support, of a shelf attachedthereto, a shelfsection hinged for downward movement at the front edgeof said shelf, a rack hinged to said shelf-section and adapted to besupported on said shelf, and means for dumping said rack from thelatter.

6. The combination, with a wall or other support, of a shelf attachedthereto, a shelfsection hinged to said shelf and capable of downwardmovement, and a rack hinged to the front edge of said shelf-section andadapted to be supported on said shelf.

7 A device such as described comprising in its construction a stationaryshelf, a shelf-section hinged to the front edge thereof and capable ofdownward movement, and a rack hinged to the front edge of saidshelf-section, said rack being of greater width than said shelf-sectionand adapted to extend over the same and be supported on said shelf.

8. In combination, a wall or other support, a shelf supported thereon, ashelfsection hinged to the front edge of said shelf and capable ofdownward movement, a rack hinged to the front edge of said shelf-sectionand of greater width than said section, means for locking said rack tosaid wall or other support, and means for releasing said locking meansand dumping said rack from said shelf.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOS. F. ADAMS.

WVitnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, HENRY J. SUHRBIER.

